Philippe Bayard, President of Sunrise Airways, commented on the carrier’s successful first year, saying: “It’s been a great year; one in which we’ve achieved an impressive number of milestones for a small, start-up airline. But, as we’ve said all along, this is just the beginning. We can all look forward to an even bigger and better Sunrise Airways in 2014 with new, larger aircraft serving an exciting line-up of new destinations to further boost tourism growth and commerce in Haiti and across the region.”
Sunrise Airways launched scheduled passenger service on December 20, 2012 with one domestic route operating between Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien. From there, the airline expanded overseas, launching its first international route to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos in August 2013. Additional international routes to Holguin, Cuba and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic soon followed in October and November, respectively.
“Bringing on new service to Kingston remains at the top of our list for 2014,” Bayard continued. “That would complete stage one of our development plan. Stage two calls for larger aircraft and longer-haul routes from Port-au-Prince. We have already initiated discussions with several aircraft lessors and anticipate entering stage two by the second quarter of 2014.”
In addition to inaugurating new routes across the Western Caribbean in 2013, Sunrise Airways also achieved several significant corporate milestones underscoring the airline’s commitment to safety and customer satisfaction. Most notably, in July 2013 Sunrise Airways became the first-ever Haitian airline to join the Flight Safety Foundation, an international non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide impartial, independent, expert safety guidance and resources for the aviation and aerospace industry.
Sunrise Airways is also the only Haitian airline with its own dedicated Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility located at Cibao International Airport (STI) in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
“The achievements we’ve realized over the past year, together with the dedication and excellent service put forth by our growing staff of professionals, have helped us to build a loyal following among a discerning base of customers who have been waiting for an elevated level of air service in Haiti,” said Bayard. “We’re delivering by adhering strictly to the same First World safety and operational standards expected of the major overseas airlines, while also always making sure to serve our customers with professionalism and respect. In this way, we’re changing perceptions of the aviation industry in Haiti, and in turn, helping to move Haiti forward as well."
